“Acai berries contain antioxidants, fiber and heart-healthy fats. They may have more antioxidant content than other commonly eaten berries, such as cranberries, blueberries and strawberries.” -mayoclinic.org

And I’m freakin’ obsessed. And I’m thankful to have Blenders & Bowls to feed my addiction. I wanted to share more about this aca-mazing place and all the goodness they serve up daily, not only because it’s delicious but because the founders are pretty badass.

I recently had the pleasure of attending a private tasting at their new location in Westlake to sample the Fall menu and their new food offerings. I had the chance to chat with founders, Erin Downing & Kara Jordan, who were nice enough to answer a few lingering questions I had about my go-to healthy craving spot.

A Q&A WITH BLENDERS & BOWLS

Co-Founders & Besties, Kara & Erin (above)

Q: Real quick, what did you guys do before blending up delicious Acai bowls?

Erin: Waitressing paid the bills!Kara: I was living in Hawaii and I was the Director of Marketing at concert promotion company. I decided to move to Austin to try something new and get closer to family.

Q: What’s Your Favorite Type of Workout or Fitness Routine?

Erin: I like kickboxing and switching up my routine weekly.

Kara: I do crossfit at Crossfit Central a few times a week. I also enjoy going to spin, running and yoga.

Q: Favorite Bowl On the Menu?

Erin: The Sesher – all day everydayKara: The Sesher!!

Me: OMG OMG OMG Me too! I’ve only once ordered something else, and it was their new seasonal Mocha bowl…which was also delicious, but still isn’t the sesher.

Erin: We take menu inspiration from our customers. We have a really healthy customer base so the idea to do raw foods and salads was a no brainer. Now that we’ve opened our Westlake location we have plenty of room to experiment and get creative in the kitchen.

Q: What type of things can people expect to find on the new food menu?

Erin: We have raw desserts like pumpkin pie and brownies-they are out of this world! We are also rolling out some salads this week! The kale Caesar salad is probably going to be a best seller.

Q: Opening a retail store is not easy, what do you think has made B & B so successful?

Kara: Our food and our customer service. The food we serve is fresh and delicious, people really crave acai and we pride ourselves in serving only the best acai bowls. We like to make the B&B experience one to remember.

Q: I noticed you hosted your own challenge called Blended! So awesome, are you planning another one anytime soon?

Kara: Yes! We are lucky enough to team up with Fit Austin and will be hosting monthly workouts in their amazing studio. The goal for our Blended Fitness and Nutrition series is promote overall wellness with healthy eating, exercising, and fun.

Q: You have a 3rd store slated to open on the eastside, what excites you most about the new location?

Erin: 3rd times a charm! We have learned so much and things are getting easier to execute. I am most excited about the design and layout.Kara: I am stoked about our location on the Eastside. It’s such a exciting and fun part of town. It’s going to be wild watching it grow over the next few years, we are really excited to be apart of the neighborhood.

Q: Being a business owner can be challenging and physically exhausting at times, how do you take care of your own health and wellness?

Erin: I don’t know my secret for being relatively stress free but it probably has a lot to do with staying active and not taking life too seriously.Kara: If I can squeeze a workout in daily then I’m happy. It’s also pretty easy to be healthy when you can eat an acai bowl everyday.

Q: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received on taking care of yourself?

Erin: Food is our energy source so put good things in your body if you want it to run well.Kara: Get some sleep! Sleep is super important and I can’t function properly if I don’t get enough sleep.

Me: Yes! Love those tips. Seriously….food is fuel! And who doesn’t love sleep!

A big thanks to the ladies of B&B for joining me for wellness week and to Dos Mundos Creative for the images!

Don’t forget there are multiple opportunities to score extra entries in this week’s Wellness giveaway. This week’s prize package is MAJOR. To be fair to those not living in Austin who still want a chance to score the Ditch Your Nutritionist Nutrition Program, I’ve separated the giveaway and will be choosing 2 different winners.